By Choi Ha-young
Seoul is one of the most modern cities, famous for skyscrapers, high-speed internet, and tech-savvy people. Not so famous, are the rice farmers, around 600 as of last year, according to data revealed by a city councilor, Sunday.
Seoul Metropolitan Council member Choi Pan-sul said a total of 602 farms were growing rice in the capital area last year. The number has been on the decline from 1,156 in 2012 to 792 in 2013, 670 in 2014 and 602 in 2015.
Most of the rice paddies are located near Gimpo International Airport in the western outskirts of the city. Last year, Seoul farmers harvested 1,805 tons of rice on 3.4 square kilometers of land.
The crop produced slightly more than Seoul citizens’ daily consumption of rice, 1,723 tons ― a figure calculated based on Korea’s per capita rice consumption of 172.3 grams a day last year, according to Statistic Korea, and an estimation of Seoul’s population at 10 million.
The rice from the Seoul farms is sold under the brand Gyeongbok Palace Rice. While the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) started using the brand name in 2002, it recently applied for a patent.
In an effort to encourage urban farming, SMG is providing technical and financial help to the farmers. Twice a year in July and August, the city helps them prevent disease by sprinkling environmentally friendly pesticides from helicopters. It also financially supports farmers who use organic fertilizers.